Every nation has a national day, but probably very few of them celebrate so enthusiastically like the Norwegians.
In our third year in Norway, we finally felt ready to celebrate the "syttende mai" (seventeenth May) with the Norwegians in down-town Oslo. A couple of rules apply to the behavior on this special day, so it may be wise to not just ignorantly plunge into it ;)
Rule number one is: dress nicely! Norwegians dress up in their various models of nice and colorful bunads (traditional costumes), which we as foreigners of course don't have. Therefore, a suit for men, and a very nice dress for woman is obligatory on this day.
The second rule is: carry a Norwegian flag! On the 17th, the Norwegian flag will be everywhere! There even was a ban on the public display of non-Norwegian flags during National day. Although this ban seems to have been officially abolished, it is still considered rude to display any flag other than the Norwegian during the 17th of May.
Rule number three: cheer the kids in the parade, eat ice creme and pølse (sausages), get drunk, have fun!
We follow these rules to the best of our knowledge, but we might have sneaked in some German tradition here and there... .
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